Accessibility Services FAQ

Getting started

Who can use Disability & Accessibility Services?

Any student with a disability that creates a barrier at Porter — learning, attention, psychological, chronic health, mobility, sensory and others — including graduate students, online students and students in clinical or field placements (accessibility services).

How do I register?

Three steps: submit the online access request, provide documentation, then meet privately with an access coordinator to talk about how the disability affects you here and what would remove the barrier. Approved accommodations are recorded, and each term you choose the classes to use them in.

When should I start?

Before the term if you can. Alternative-format texts, captioning and reduced-distraction testing take lead time to arrange. Incoming students can start as soon as they have confirmed enrollment.

What documentation do I need?

Usually a letter or report from a qualified professional that names the condition and describes its functional impact. A recent IEP or 504 plan helps as background, and an older evaluation can still work for a lifelong condition (documenting a disability).

I do not have any documentation. Can I still apply?

Yes — meet a coordinator anyway. The office can work with a treating provider on what is missing, set up a provisional accommodation while you get an evaluation, or point you to low-cost assessment options.

Does my high school IEP or 504 plan carry over?

Not automatically. It is useful background, but college accommodations are set through a conversation with a coordinator about access, and they do not change what a course requires (the interactive process).

I broke my wrist. Does that count?

Yes. A concussion, surgery recovery, a broken bone or a short-term mental-health episode can qualify for temporary accommodations through the same office, on a faster timeline, usually with a note from the treating clinician. Reach out as soon as it happens.

Accommodations and your instructors

What accommodations are possible?

Extended exam time and a reduced-distraction room, note-taking support or permission to record, accessible-format materials, captioning and interpreting, priority registration, attendance or deadline flexibility where a condition flares, assistive technology, lab or studio adjustments, and housing or dining accommodations. Each is matched to your barrier, not your diagnosis.

Do accommodations lower the standard of a course?

No. They provide equal access, not an advantage, and cannot fundamentally alter an essential requirement. If a request is denied on those grounds, the reasoning must be specific and documented.

How do my instructors find out?

You decide. When you activate accommodations for a class, the instructor receives a letter listing what you are approved for — never your diagnosis or your records (getting accommodations that work).

Should I talk to my instructors too?

It is encouraged, not required. Send the letter in week one and have a short conversation about logistics: where you will test, how notes will work, how attendance flexibility fits that course.

Can accommodations apply to a grade I already received?

Generally not; accommodations are not retroactive. That is the main reason to register early and send letters at the start of each term.

What if an instructor will not follow my accommodation?

Contact your access coordinator right away. Resolving it is their job, usually through a direct conversation with the instructor or department; you should not have to argue it yourself or choose between an accommodation and a grade.

Will anything about my disability appear on my transcript?

No. Your documentation and diagnosis stay with Disability & Accessibility Services.

Exams

How do accommodated exams work?

Accessibility Services decides what you are eligible for once; the Testing Center delivers it exam by exam. You book each accommodated exam at least 48 hours ahead through the Testing Center scheduler (scheduling an accommodated exam).

Where is the Testing Center, and when is it open?

Halvorsen Library, Level 1, Monday through Saturday during the semester. It is free to students with approved accommodations.

What if I miss the 48-hour window?

A late request is filled when there is capacity but is not guaranteed. A genuinely missed accommodated exam is rescheduled with your instructor like any other missed exam. Most students set a recurring reminder for every exam date in the syllabus.

What testing accommodations are available?

Extended time, a reduced-distraction or private room, a reader or scribe, screen-reading and speech-to-text software, and paper alternatives to online exams, matched to your approved need (testing accommodations).

What about final exams and pop quizzes?

Book finals as soon as the schedule is posted; fall 2026 finals run December 14–18 (final exam schedule). If an in-class quiz or timed component is not covered by your plan, ask your coordinator to adjust it.

Housing, dining and getting around

How do I request a housing accommodation?

Through Disability & Accessibility Services, not Housing. Housing receives only the approved arrangement — for example, a single room on the ground floor with air conditioning — never your records. It renews each year with a quick check-in (accessible housing).

When should I submit a housing request?

By the spring priority date for returning students, or as soon as you have paid your deposit as an incoming student. Requests in August get whatever qualifying room is left; a need that arises mid-year is handled as rooms allow.

Can my service dog live and go to class with me?

Yes. A trained service animal goes wherever students and the public can go, with no pre-approval. Staff may ask only whether it is a service animal and what task it performs (service animals).

What about an emotional support animal?

An ESA is a housing accommodation only, reviewed with documentation from a treating provider. Request it at least 60 days before move-in; approvals are renewed each academic year (emotional support animals).

I have a medical diet. Do I still need a meal plan?

Usually yes — the campus dietitian sets up safe stations, the allergen-free pantry and made-to-order meals. In rare cases a plan is reduced or released with the dietitian’s and a provider’s sign-off (dietary accommodations).

How does accessible parking work?

You need a valid state disability placard or plate plus a Porter parking permit. After an injury, Transportation & Parking issues a temporary accessible permit with a provider’s note (accessible parking).

Is there a ride across campus?

Yes. Lift- and ramp-equipped vans run door to door within campus. Register once for a standing class-schedule route, or request same-day rides for a short-term injury; book recurring rides at least a day ahead (accessible campus transportation).

Technology, materials and community

How do I get textbooks in an accessible format?

Request them through the office, ideally before the term so they are ready in week one: accessible PDF, audio, braille or large print.

How do I get captioning or CART for a class?

Request it once through Accessibility Services and it follows your schedule. For a campus event, the organizer requests captioning at least five business days ahead, and the cost comes from a central access fund (requesting captioning or CART).

What assistive technology is available?

Much of it is already on your issued laptop: the screen reader, magnifier, dictation and read-aloud. Beyond that the university licenses specialized software and lends hardware such as smart pens and FM systems, with training sessions before you rely on them (assistive technology).

A course website or video is not accessible. What do I do?

Report it to the office. Staff work with the instructor and the vendor and provide an accessible alternative in the meantime (digital accessibility).

Are there student groups?

Yes. Disability Advocates is a disabled-student community that also advises the university on access, and the ACES accessible computing club builds accessible technology.